A Weekend Away

Plan a road trip and head to parts north, south, and even more south. These three cities offer up three very different weekend excursions. Take your pick and hit the road.

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Indianapolis 

Considered one of America’s next “it cities,” Indianapolis easily gives towns like our beloved Music City a run for their money, and for good reason. And, though often a yearly pilgrimage for NASCAR fans, Indianapolis exceeds its racing legend by far. From its diverse arts and culture community, to a culinary landscape of vast proportions, you’ll get your motor running and head up the highway for a personal champagne finish any time of year. 

Hotels in the city range in price and pomp. 

An Industrial Age inspired boutique hotel, Ironworks Indy’s “work hard, play hard” attitude features nine restaurants, a nail spa and hair salon, and several gyms all within walking distance of nightlife and area attractions. 

Le Méridien, a downtown Marriott Bonvoy property, connects to City Centre Mall and the Indianapolis Convention Center. The 100-room, vintage space accentuated by modern aesthetics with luxury amenities, neighbors Spoke and Steele.

Often a locales’s note of swank, JW Marriott Indianapolis is no exception. You can’t miss the soaring 33-story posh digs with a skywalk connecting to the Lucas Oil Stadium (home of the Indianapolis Colts NFL team). Specifically built to host the 2012 Super Bowl, this landmark hotel is the world’s largest JW Marriott.   

The city also plays host to a wide range of activities and must-see destinations. The Indianapolis 500, known around the world as the largest single-day sporting event, calls Indianapolis Motor Speedway home. Feel like a true champion on the VIP Full Grounds Tour offered by the speedway’s onsite museum, where you can kiss the bricks and even ride a lap on the daily tours offered March-October. 

Think again if you think you’re too old to enjoy The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis with your kids, or even solo if you choose. The largest children’s museum on earth features a myriad of exhibits with a five-story Dale Chihuly masterpiece front and center. But, if historical oddities are more your jam, the Medical History Museum follows the beginning of psychiatric research with a nod to why mental health should be revered. Included in the exhibitions are expired patient brain specimens preserved at America’s oldest surviving pathology facility.  

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The Children's Museum of Indianapolis 

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Sun King Brewing

After such a hair-raising experience, explore the grounds and art galleries on the campus at another Indy gem, Newfields—a place for nature and the arts. You could easily make a day of it here. But don’t miss American pop artist Robert Indiana’s original LOVE sculpture constructed in 1970—a sculpture now reproduced for other “it cities” around the world.   

Whether you explore the city on foot or by bike, the highly acclaimed 8-mile Indianapolis Cultural Trail connects all six of Indy’s cultural districts. Peruse the numerous shops and boutiques along Mass Avenue. Take a swing dance lesson at the historic Fountain Square Theatre to the tune of live orchestra music. Or sample local fare guilt-free on one of numerous walking and biking food tours along the trail. 

For a truly Indy dining experience, get your bearings by starting at the Indianapolis City Market, a prized gourmand destination. In operation since 1866, the not-for-profit food hall hosts over 35 year-round merchants, as well as the seasonal Original Farmers’ Market. You can sip some of the finest in Hoosier brews at the market’s Tomlinson Tap Room. To explore more of Indy’s modern era craft roots, head over to Sun King Brewing, the city’s first commercial craft brewery in over 30 years, which also happens to be the town’s largest brewery. Not only do these folks brew top-notch beers, their spirits are of note as well. 

Menu items like lamb tamales and mushroom empanadas can be paired with tequilas for even the most curious palate at Livery, where the rooftop bar is a local favorite. A proprietary barrel-aged cocktail program rules Spoke and Steele’s drinks menu, while local farms are what’s for brunch and dinner at the downtown anchor restaurant serving New American cuisine. 

“Farm-to-table” may be a loose term for some, but not at Traders Point Creamery, Indiana’s first USDA-certified organic dairy farm where cheese, ice cream and other pasture-based, 100% grass fed dairy products are a plenty. The restaurant and farm store are situated on the 130-acre farm, where visitors are encouraged to watch evening milking, or take a stroll on the gorgeous property.  

Getting There: A straight shot up I-65 N is only a 4.5 hour drive. - MC

Tallahassee, Florida 

This most underrated Southern city is built upon layers of dichotomy and history, and merits thoughtful exploration. Check into the stunning Hotel Duval but leave the unpacking for later. Let your introduction to Tallahassee begin at The Grove Museum where the past comes alive. This classic antebellum home—also known as the Call/Collins House—was built by slaves, but you will not find that part of the story swept under its antique Persian rugs. Quite the opposite; visitors are encouraged to trace the history and evolution of the property through its origins, the Great Depression, into restoration, civil rights, and beyond.

From here, it is a short drive to local favorite indie bookstore, Midtown Reader, founded by Sally Bradshaw. Browse the shelves for a new literary gem or let one of the staff members guide you in the right direction. Save room for a cup of coffee and a cupcake at the upstairs café. It is fun to note that Bradshaw has retained one of the bedrooms and a full bath in this former single-family home, just for visiting authors. 

Ready for something a little livelier? This is a college town after all—home to Florida State University, Florida A&M, and Tallahassee Community College–so there is no shortage of fun bars and watering holes. Make a beeline for Proof Brewing Company on South Monroe Street. One-part production facility, one-part family-friendly outdoor space, one-part air-conditioned gathering place, Proof is the ideal spot to go local. The menu ranges from pilsner to hoppy, malty to sour, so why not order a flight to sample a variety? There are even gluten-free varieties. If you need a little nosh while you savor that Nitro Mango Wit, the in-house brewpub, Proper, can hook you up with everything from pretzel bites to salads. 

Head back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner reservations at Il Lusso, an elegant take on the classic Italian trattoria. Specializing in the grass-fed, the Wagyu, and the dry-aged cuts, Il Lusso’s offerings practically beg to be lingered over and savored with a hand-selected bottle of wine or craft cocktail. The menu is rounded out with house-made specialty pastas and sides meant to be shared family-style. In the mood for something a bit more casual? Check out Mimi’s Table in Old Town Tallahassee, where executive Chef and Owner William Lawson spoils guests with Southern dishes prepared with a classical French approach

For breakfast, make your way to SoDOUGH Baking Company where they believe life’s best joys can be crafted from flour, yeast, salt, sugar, milk, and butter. And who are we to argue when their cases are lined with concoctions such as guava and cream cheese, strawberry lavender, cinnamon cardamom, and plenty of classic doughnut varieties?

Walk through Tallahassee’s Railroad Square Arts Park. With more than seventy galleries and artisan-fueled businesses, this is where you can find that one-of-a-kind souvenir. Or pack a picnic basket and a blanket and head to the nearby Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park. The gorgeous 670-acre grounds themselves are phenomenal and beg to be discovered on foot. Better yet, plan your visit to Tallahassee to coincide with the annual Red Hills International Horse Trials in early March. Thousands of equine enthusiasts from all over the world gather here each year to compete in Olympic qualifying events. 

For a little retail therapy, Hearth & Soul is a store that has to be experienced to be appreciated. Owner Susie Busch Transou and her team have curated thoughtful finds in a variety of price ranges that will truly inspire you. And if you fall in love with something on the floor (That sofa! That Oushak! That Sweetgrass Dairy Asher Blue cheese!) it is yours. No need to wait for another to arrive in stock; Hearth & Soul wants you to have it immediately. But beyond the stuff, there is the vibe – one of graciousness and philanthropy, of being engaged with the community as a whole. Hearth & Soul hosts monthly shows featuring local artisans and is eager to find inspired ways of giving back to the city they call home. In other words, make sure you leave a little extra cargo room for your drive back to Nashville. 

Getting There: We suggest driving I-65 south through Alabama, into the state capital of Montgomery, then following the signs to Eufaula, a true sleeper of a Southern town if there ever was one. Take smaller highways through South Georgia and its famed hunting plantations in Bainbridge, Donalson, and Camilla, before arriving in Tallahassee in about eight hours. –CR

Historic Atlanta

Sometimes in traveling, we can feel more connected to a place when we take a closer look at its roots, so this Atlanta itinerary focuses on landmarks built in the 1920s or before.  

The Candler Hotel might be one of Atlanta’s newest place to stay, but the bones of the building date back to 1906 when Coca-Cola magnate Asa Griggs built the city’s first skyscraper. 

At 17 stories in the heart of downtown, it’s height may be overshadowed by shinier, taller buildings these days­, but it’s certainly not overshadowed in detail or grandeur.  

Corinthian columns and carved stonework on the outside of the Candler beckon to an ornate lobby with hand-carved marble staircase and chandelier casting light from dripping crystals. The Beau-Arts style also means marble columns and brass elevators with ornate mahogany above their doors—yet all this comes with the familiar comforts of Hilton, the company that refurbished the hotel. 

Indeed, The Candler gives us one example of ways Atlanta preserves history in modern ways even as the city often gets labeled as “new.” And to be sure, Atlanta does have plenty of freshness to offer, but often with a historic twist. 

But after checking in, head to another refurbished property, The Clermont Hotel, for dinner at Tiny Lou’s. The hotel originally opened in 1924. After many iterations the health department shut it down in 2009. It underwent an extensive renovation and triumphant return almost a decade later. To find the restaurant, follow its pink neon sign downstairs where pink banquettes and tabletops hint at a playful time to come with options like Black Cocoa Foie Gras Torchon, North Georgia Trout Almondine, and the Blondie dessert named for the stripper and poet who has long worked at the basement Clermont Lounge, Atlanta’s oldest and most infamous strip club, which opened in 1965.   

After dinner, head to the rooftop for a nightcap against the twinkling views of the Atlanta skyline. From there you can see Ponce City Market, a proper place to start the following day.  

Housed inside the sprawling headquarters of a former Sears & Roebuck, the 2,100,000-square-foot building and lot covers 16 acres. It’s a labyrinth of hip shops and restaurants, like Chef Linton Hopkins’s popular burger and chicken joints, set against the creaking hardwood and steel beams of the historic space. For brunch, take the massive industrial elevator to 9 Mile Station on the roof where you can see Downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead. Then work off the decadent banana-stuffed French toast with rooftop carnival games or jump on the Atlanta BeltLine, a 22-mile loop that connects at Ponce City Market, for a walk amongst the locals and their dogs (or scooters). The BeltLine sits along railroad corridors that formerly encircled Atlanta. 

For more history, you can spend several hours getting educated at the Atlanta History Center, which includes rotating events and exhibits as well as a tour of The Swan House, an example of luxe 1920s architecture. 

When you’re ready for another culinary adventure, consider The Colonnade, a restaurant founded in 1927, for meat-and-three fare like fried chicken, turnip greens, sweet potato soufflé and maybe a martini. For a smaller bite, the Varsity remains a favorite. It’s democratic with a lowercase “d,” drawing folks of all stripes for chili dogs and burgers. The Varsity opened in 1928 just one year before another Atlanta legend of a higher-brow sort, The Fox Theatre. 

Catch a show at the Fox if you can, because the design alone is worth the price of admission with its deep indigo ceiling lit with twinkling stars like a night sky. And if you feel like a fancier fuel-up before the show, head back to the hotel to By George, named for Candler architects. You’ll find French-inspired fare on the menu (vichyssoise, escargot, pot-au-feu) but with Chef Hugh Acheson’s seasonal and always thoughtful approach.   

Whether it’s the ballet or a rock concert you end up finding at The Fox, you’ll want to grab a post-show late-night snack. Cap the night with a bite at Majestic Diner’s counter, lined with chrome stools. It’s a no-frills place with eggs, grits, pancakes, and the like. But steady as a rock, it’s been open since 1929—and keeps staying open all night long. ­­

Getting There: Google maps will tell you it’s about a three hour and 45 minute drive from Nashville to The Candler Hotel downtown Atlanta, but we suggest allowing for traffic coming through Chattanooga and into Atlanta (clocking drive time in at a more realistic five-ish hours). –JJ